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A Law Actually Interview with… Lisa Hutch – (The Trials)

Most members of the UK blawgosphere probably aren’t too familiar with Lisa’s blawg, but I’ve been following her for a couple of years or so now. It’s nice to get an alternative perspective from the blawgosphere and, being Canadian, Lisa provides a very welcome breath of fresh air.

UK blawgers who have typically eschewed the US blawgosphere (for whatever reason) should definitely take a look at Lisa’s blawg - as there are undoubtedly more similarities than differences to the UK approach to blawgging.

As a bonus, UK lawyers who are ‘getting on in years’ will no doubt be tickled by the fact that Canada still have ‘articles’ as part of the entry route to becoming a lawyer and clearly haven’t succumbed to the pressure to attach to modern, plain (and very dull) labels to esteemed conventions. Good on them!

Rest assured, there’s not a single reference to a ‘training contract’ in sight!

Anyway, let’s get to the questions:

How did you get into blawging?When I made the decision to go to law school, I began to scour the internet for information about what law school was "really" like. I couldn't find very much at all. There were a few student blawgs, but many of them were older or were inactive. I decided that I would start my own law school blawg, and attempt to document my experience as accurately as possible in the hope that it would help out other people looking for this type of information.

There aren't many Canadian student blawgers out there; what other blawgs do you tend to visit?I visit the ones on my blog roll quite regularly, which includes the blawgs of various law practices and a faculty blawg from the U of A. I like visiting the Precedent, but sometimes find that the material is very centered around Ontario in particular, rather than being aimed at a wider Canadian readership. I also like SLAW.

Do you think that being a blawger can make someone a better law student?Definitely. In looking for interesting subject matter to post about, I paid far more attention to my law school experience. I went to different lectures that were offered, in looking forward to being able to post about them. I paid more attention to what I was doing in class, so that I could comment on it. I remember posting something on my blawg about an error in the CANS that some of us had been using when we were studying for finals, which other students actually told me that they appreciated. I also paid more attention to law in the news. Made for a richer experience, and definitely made me a better law student.

Do you think you'll carry on blawging for years to come - even when you start practicing?Already am! As time and energy allow, I will continue blawging. The connections that I build through blawging are just too valuable to give up.

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Michael is a practising lawyer and accomplished cynic from the UK. He’s been blogging since his student days and can’t quite bring himself to hang up his blogging gloves just yet (they’re fingerless gloves, obviously).
He loves fussing over trivialities, seeking comfort from repetitive activities, idly reminiscing and moaning about things.